kenmker



N. 0. KENNIKER.

BOX AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AP11.21. 1916.

Patnted Dec. 16,1919.

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BOX AND THE LlKE.

APPLICATION FILED APR.2I. 1916.

1 25,493. Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

M53563 A five-72737." 4 46 (QM/mike,-

UNITED STATES PATENT onnron NICHOLAS O. KENNIKER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DURABLE BOX (20., O1

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 01 ILLINOIS.

' BOX AND II-IE LIKE.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Dec. 16, 1919.

Application filed April 21, leis. Serial No. 92,613.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS O. KEN- NIKER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Boxes and the like, of which the following scribed, and fittings therefor, that are simple, convenient, compact, durable, efiicient and satisfactory, for use wherever found applicable. The invention has among its further objects the production of efficient means for securing and locking the'parts together at the corners or juncture of the'sides and ends and bottom and top, as may be desired. Other objects and advantages of the construction herein shown. and described will be obvious to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein made.

To this end my invention consists in the novel construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims. 7 5

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate likeor corresponding parts,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a box embodying my invention; I I

Fig. 2 isa central longitudinal section of the same substantially inline 22 of Fig. 3

Fig,'3 is a central'transverse section of the same;

' i Fig. 4' is a sectional view indioatingthe method of assembling the proximate side and end walls; r

parts illustrated in Fig. 4, brought together to form a corner;

, ification, and

notched engagement. provided, each having eachend bent at a right angle, as at'T, and of a sufficient length Fig. 5 is a similar section, showing the,

construction at the fourth or last corner in assembling the walls of the box;

Flg. 7 is a similar section showing a mod Fig. 8 is another modification of the same. In boxes and'crates of the kind described,

in view of the increased cost of the rough material, as well as the decrease in bulk, for shipping, and storage purposes, it has become desirable from a point of. economy and convenience, to construct the side and end walls, as well as the top and bottomof boxes, cases and. crates at the point where lumber is cheap. These may then be packed compactly in the knock-down form, requiring-the minimum of space, and without any .waste material at all, may beshippedtothe point where they are to be used.

- In boxes of this character, it is desirable that convenient means may be provided to assemble the. various parts to complete the finished box. This means should. be. so

formed as not torequire skilled labor, nor

. 'so i In the drawings, a well known form of other or both ofthe proximateends of the side or end walls l and 2 are notched as'at 5, so that the two parts will come'into Binding rods'6 are to pass through the wall 'of'the box and lie upon cleats 9, as shown, and it is again bent at an angle to provide the ends' S. These look rods for at least threecorners of the box are substantially straight, as .shown in the full and dotted lines at the bottom of Eig. 4. At suitablepoints, and preferably 7 7 close to the edge of the. cleats 9, apertures 10 afio'rd openings through the side ande'nd' walls of suflicient gize to permit the. bent 'ends s of therods to passtherethrough. 1

The proximate end and side walls l and j 2, shown.in"Fig. 4,.may be brought to sub 'stantially the position shown in full" and dotted *linesin "that figure, permitting the ends 8 of the rod to be inserted in the apertures 10 and pass therethrough to a point where they will lie upon the inner surface of the box. The free ends of the end and side walls may thenbe brought toward each other, first forming substantially an obtuse angle shown in Fig. 4, and later to complete the angle corner shown in Fig. 5. This brings the two parts in notched engagement at the ends, as indicated, forcibly bending the rod about the corner, binding the two parts firmly together, the extreme ends of the rod engaging and locking upon the innor surface of the box, as shown. As shown in Fig. 1, preferably three of such binding rods are employed at each corner of the box.

It is obvious that at least three corners of the box can be assembled in the manner indicated, but the parts of the fourth corner cannot be brought into the position shown for assembling. The binding rods for the fourth corner, which I have marked 11 to distinguish them, are preferably substantially bent to form several completed rods when assembled, as shown in Fig 6. Thus it will be seen when the side and end walls 1+2 of the fourth corner are brought together to the position shown in Fig. 6, the end 12of the rod 11 may first be threaded through the side wall, and the other end 13 may be brought around. the corner of the box, and is of sufficient flexibility to permit the end 13 to be forced through the notched opening 14 formed in the wall, key 18 not being in place. Sufficient clearness is provided between the edge of the cleat 15 and the bend 17 of the rod to permit the parts to be so assembled. When this is done,

. suitably connecting the end and side walls as a whole, a key 18 may then be forced into the position between the edge of the cleat 1.5 andthe part 17, clearly shown in Fig. 1, forcing the part 17 outward to its limit,

and firmly binding the parts together, thus preventing accidental withdrawal of the end 13 from the wall of the box sufficiently to cause accidental disengagement of the parts.

Fig. 7 is a modification of the form shown in Fig. 6, in which a plate 19 is placed within the box, with a screw 20 passing therethrough, as well as through the wall of the box, and firmly seated in the key 18. It is obvious that the key 18 could not be removed from its position except from the interior of the box, and-by first releasing the plate 19, preventing tampering with they box from the outside;

Fig. 8 shows a. slightly different modification, in which a bolt 21 secures the key 18 in position, with a nut 22 located inside the box and. preventing disengaging the bolt from its position by outside manipubling of the side and end walls of the box.

However, as clearly shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 8, the top 3 may be attached at its rear edge to the wall of the box in a similar manner, thus as clearly shown in Fig. 3, the engaging rods 23 may have one end attached to the rear wall 2 of the box, as indicated at 24, while the other end engages the cover 3 of the box in the same manner, the rods being secured at a point which is shown in substantially the same manner, as heretofore described. In referring to the assembling of the corners of the box, the edge of the cover may be secured in like manner to that described in Fig. 6, thus as shown at the upper left hand corner of Fig. 2 the rods 25 have one end passing through and engaged with the cover of the box at the rear of the cleat 26, and the lower end passing through the enlarged openings in the front wall 2, with keys 27 forced between the bend of the rods 25, and the cleat 28. The keys may be secured in position by screws or other suitable means to prevent their accidental disengagement.

If preferred, the keys 27 may be positioned upon the top of the box rather than on the side operating in substantially the same manner, the enlarged openings in such a case being formed in the top of the box rather than the front wall. In forming the box it is preferred that suitable cross grooves be made in the outer surface of the several cleats, in which the rods are sunk, thus embedding them in the cleats, and preventing the rods catching on any obstruction when the boxes are moved along or are applied one upon another. The bottom 4: of the box may be constructed in any preferred manner, and'secured in position to the walls of the box also in any preferred manner. As clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the bottom is preferably provided with a central longitudinal cleat 29, between which and the bottom at is positioned a longitudinal rod 30, having its ends 31 bent upward at a right angle, and outwardly as at 32, to be seated. apertures formed in the end parts or walls of the .box for that purpose. The outer ends 32 may be provided and turned over or clenched on the outside of the case. The bottom also preferably has cleats 33 at its edges, firmly secured to the bottom ofthe box, and recessed at the outer edges of the bottom, to receive the lateral shoulders 3d of the metal plate 85, which is firmly secured to the front and rear side walls of thebox. The bottom is placed in position as the side walls are assembled, thus per mitting the engagement of the parts as described. This engagement of the several parts firmly secures the bottom in position,

insuring great rigiditymin the box, which tremely rigid and very strong, and may be set up in a few moments time by unskilled labor. It may be disassembled or knocked down as readily, for storage or shipping purposes, as before set forth.

Having thus described my invention, it is obvious that various immaterial modifications may be made in the same without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the exact form, construction, arrangement and combination of parts herein shown and described, or uses mentioned.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. I11 a device of the kind described and in combination, side and end walls, a plurality of binding members for securing one of the corners of the adjacent walls together, each member consisting of an integral rod having one end extended through an aperture in one of the walls, and thence bent at an angle to prevent withdrawal of the rod therefrom, the other end of the rod thence extended tightly around the corner of the box, and through an aperture in one of the walls with the end engaging the proximate wall, and means on the exterior of one of the walls for locking said members in place and preventing the withdrawal thereof.

2. In a device of the kind described and in combination, side and end walls, a plu rality of binding members for securing one of the corners of the adjacent walls together, each member consisting of a rod having one end extended through an aperture in one of the walls, and thence bent at an angle to prevent withdrawal of the rod therefrom, the other end of the rod thence extended tightly around the corner of the box, and through an aperture in one of the Walls with the end engaging the proximate wall, the apertures in said last mentioned wall of a size to permit the insertion or withdrawal of the end of the binder when the corner of the box is brought together, and means at the exterior of said wall for preventing the withdrawal of said binding members.

3. A box comprising side and end walls with transverse cleats arranged near the ends thereof, and a bottom connected to and carried by said walls, in combination with sembled at said corner with the ends passed through the apertures in the walls and lying upon the inner faces thereof, the intermedi- 4. In a box comprising abutting side and 7 end walls, the combination of'a plurality of binding members for one of said corners, each consisting of an integral piece of wire bent substantially intermediate the ends with a suitable olfset adjacent each of said abutting box ends, said corner provided with apertures, the apertures on one end being enlarged and relatively equal to the length of the offset at the free end of the wire, and means on the exterior of said wall for partially covering said enlarged apertures, and locking said wires in place.

5. A box comprising side and end walls, a plurality of binding members for securing the corners of the adjacent walls together, each member consisting of an integral rod having one end extended through the aperture in one of the walls, and thence bent at an angle outwardly to prevent its withdrawal, the other end of the rod thence extended tightly around the corner of the box with the end having frictional engagement with the proximate wall in a like manner, the resilient action of the member tending to maintain the outward ends in contact with the box.

6. A box comprising side and end walls, a plurality of binding members for securing the corners of the adjacent walls together, each member consisting of a rod having one end extending through an aperture in one of the walls and thence bent at an angle outwardly to prevent the withdrawal of the rod therethrough, the other end of the rod thence extended tightly around the corner of the box with the end engaging the proximate wall in a like manner, the outwardly extending ends being unattached to the walls of the box, the resilient action of the rod serving to holdsaid ends infrictional engagement with the walls.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

NICHOLAS O. KENNIKER.

Witnesses:

ROY W. vHILL, CHARLES Iv Conn. 

